JetJumper's Tank Build

[JetJumper]

Hey Everyone.  This is my first real post on here but I have been watching and reading the site for months now.  I am in the process of setting up a tank which is going to take me a little bit to complete due to funding issues, but I thought I would keep a little log on here for the progress.

I have always wanted a Salt water tank and told myself I wouldn't get one till I got my own house. (I didn't want the hassle of tear down and resetting it back up.)  So, got my first house last sept   And the mind just started to wonder for ideas on what to do for a tank.  Next thing I know, I see a free tank on KIJIJI.  22"W x 26"D x 34"T.  I quickly replied to the ad and ran over and scooped it up.  Free tank that size, I can't turn it down!  Got the tank and it was in pretty decent condition, hardly any scratches and looked to be good enough for a display tank.  Now, I wanted to not have to worry about overflow boxes or anything like that.  I took a big risk and started to drill the tank (NO IDEA IF IT WAS TEMPERED OR NOT!!! - NOT RECOMMENDED! HAHA)  Well, it turns out the tank was NOT tempered, so it worked out PERFECTLY.  Two holes in the back of the tank, ready for drainage / return

So now I have a large tank, 2 freshly drilled holes, and no stand to put this on.  Next step I started doing was to build a stand.  Its not finished, but the rest is cosmetics which I don't care about just at this time. (Yet again another money thing to finish off the stand I want to do it.) Went to home depot, bought a bunch of wood, and started to plan / measure / cut.


Ignore the Ugly Couch in the Background!   This is the tank when I first got it


Here is the tank on the stand that I built, still need to finish it, but the main structure is finished.

I wanted to have a Sump for sure for this setup, so I went digging through the random spare tanks I have in the garage (Don't ask, but I have about 7 spare tanks doing nothing at the moment - hahha)  I found a tank that would fit perfectly under this tank / stand and fill the room to the max.  I think it works out to 25-30 gallons for a sump.  This tank is in pretty decent condition, did a quick water test over night to make sure it holds fine and then got some 1/4" plex and started to make baffles / fuge. Yet again, more pictures included to show this.


Sump with Baffles / Fuge siliconed in place.


Side view of sump + skimmer (Skimmer only in the middle for a place to put it, it will be moved to the left side later)

I bought a couple of Korilia 3's and 4's and put the tank on the stand, filled it up 3/4 of the way, and so far its still at that point. (Waiting on parts currently for next stage)

Now, trying to locate bulkheads that fit a 65mm hole that I drilled isn't something that home depot carries so I called around and wound up getting them from Marinescape on Carling.  Decently priced from what I found over all.  Picked up some 1.5" PVC from Home Hardware and after a bit of planning / cutting / assembly, I have Picture #5,6 to show how I set that up thus far.


Tank with Sump in place.  Starting of Plumbing work.


Return + Overflow.

Now comes a fun and interesting idea I came up with the other night.  Lighting.. HUGE topic here and since the depth on this tank is rather large, I figure I am going to get a 250Watt 14/15K MH bulb so that I have a decent amount of light to reach the depths required for some corals / clams.  (Correct me if I am wrong here in this wattage)  As for Actinics, I came across some LED information for marine tanks, and I got thinking to myself.  I have more then enough LEDS kicking around to make a light that will give me an Actinic effect.  So I found an old lamp for a 10 Gallon tank, took it apart and started to work on figuring out how to fit some LEDS in it.  So far my design includes 120LEDS (60 Blue - 460nm and 60 UV - 400nm)  I know the UV are a little low on the wavelength, but after some long hours of researching it, there are a few company's that produce LED fixtures for Salt water tanks that use these ranges.  Pictures 6-12 will show the LED fixture so far.


UV LED (Camera Sucks so you can't see the true colour)


Blue LED (Camera Sucks so you can't see the true colour)


Old Fish tank Lamp


Lamp Gutted


Plexiglass with 120 drilled holes and LED's glued into place.


This is what the finished look will look like once I finish the soldering of the 120 resistors and 120 LEDs (Oh what fun!)

********** MORE TO COME ONCE I GET FURTHER ****************

[ciaus]

I'd like to get more info on your LED fixture build....detailed pics of the whole thing...can you expalin the PAR that will be achieved by building this size of an LED fixture?  How deep will this provide serviceable illumination?

If you dont know the answers, maybe someone else can chime in here...I just dont understand why LED assemblies have to be SO expensive, when a DIY like this seems ot be a reasonable project...


TIA

Ciaus

[mikerobart]

Awesome build so far. I love the semi cube sizes. Wowzers 34" tall hope you have long arms ! For croceas on the bottom I'd be thinking 400w to be honest. At that depth you might need it. 250w is normally used only to about 24".

Nice diy led ! You are going to have a really nice system here I think.

[salvini55]

I really like what you got going on. What livestock are you thinking about keeping?

[Hookup]

Great first post!

It sure sounds like you've really researched and know your stuff.  I love the DIY you have throughout your build from the tank to the lights, to the sump... this is definitely a DIY dream project.

I think the extra-tall tank will have a pretty cool effect for aquascaping.  I've seen only one or two tanks of this size/shape where they pulled off an effective reef.  But that leaves me with one question.

I notice that your display is rimless.  I do not know much about the build/design of rimless tanks, but if I'm not mistaken special products are required to keep the seals together including the thickness of glass and the sillycone.  Are you sure that was a rimless tank and not a tank with the plastic rim taken off?

[93GTCANADA]

Looking good. Please tell me you did a water test before doing all that work.

[JetJumper]

I notice that your display is rimless.  I do not know much about the build/design of rimless tanks, but if I'm not mistaken special products are required to keep the seals together including the thickness of glass and the sillycone.  Are you sure that was a rimless tank and not a tank with the plastic rim taken off?

Good question, and I did take this into consideration.  The tank does have a plastic rim that used to be there.  I still have the parts for it, but it wasn't a very sturdy plastic rim to begin with.  So what I plan on doing is when I finish the stand I am going to make a tight fit wood boarder around the tank on the bottom / top so that in essense it will seem like it still has something holding it together.  The thickness of the glass on this tank is 0.5" thick (making it a VERY heavy tank to lift with 1 person) and the silicone is holding great so far.

I really like what you got going on. What livestock are you thinking about keeping?

Live stock so far I have not figured out completely.  I want to get the tank setup and running with some dead rock and a mix of live rock and leave it sit for a few months to build up a nice balance.  I would love to have a Green Manderin (I love the colours these guys put off) and some clowns etc.. Corals wise, not sure yet.

Awesome build so far. I love the semi cube sizes. Wowzers 34" tall hope you have long arms ! For croceas on the bottom I'd be thinking 400w to be honest. At that depth you might need it. 250w is normally used only to about 24".
Nice diy led ! You are going to have a really nice system here I think.

As for the 34" tall, total water depth will be less then that.  I have planned for aprox 3-4" at the top that is not used plus a sand bed of aprox 4-6" deep.  So all in all I might only have 24" deep in some spots, and a little deeper in others.  My hydro bill is huge already, so I am trying to stay away from the 400watt lamps. (Electric heating plus I have an orchid / exotic plant collection that eats up another 300-400watts)

I'd like to get more info on your LED fixture build....detailed pics of the whole thing...can you expalin the PAR that will be achieved by building this size of an LED fixture?  How deep will this provide serviceable illumination?
If you dont know the answers, maybe someone else can chime in here...I just dont understand why LED assemblies have to be SO expensive, when a DIY like this seems ot be a reasonable project...

I would love to answer the PAR question, but at the moment I don't know.  So far the design consists of 120LEDS (Purchased from Ebay for under $30.00 with resistors.) some plexiglass ($2.00) and an old Fish tank light hood. (Free)  Transformer to drive this setup isn't that much (Under $10).  The fun part that I have to do in the next time slot I have free time is to solder Resistors to all of the 120 LEDS then solder it all up to the main power feeds.  Each LED is Aprox 20mA at 3.3V.  Over all I think it works out to under 15watts to run the entire thing.  Do I know if its going to work great?  No, not yet.  I have no experience with LED lighting for Plants or Corals.  But I had the LEDs kicking around, so I thought I would give it a shot.  Once the fixture is further along (This weekend project) I will get some better pictures and give me insight to how I have it set up.

Looking good. Please tell me you did a water test before doing all that work.

HAHA!  I did yes.  All setup on my kitchen floor and no leaks for a 5 day test!

Thanks for the comments everyone!  Hopefully I haven't bit off more then I can chew for my first SW tank.  HAHA!

[Hookup]

Sounds like a man with a plan here boys... this is one to watch!   

WRT your lighting, I think you might be better served with the 400w setup.... but above that is the quality of the reflector you are going to use to direct/drive that light down into the tank.  Lumenbrights will be top of the list for throwing whatever PAR you are getting deepest into the tank.  Surprisingly, reflectors play the most important role in achieving high PAR in the tank, more so than wattage.

[JetJumper]

Sounds like a man with a plan here boys... this is one to watch!   

WRT your lighting, I think you might be better served with the 400w setup.... but above that is the quality of the reflector you are going to use to direct/drive that light down into the tank.  Lumenbrights will be top of the list for throwing whatever PAR you are getting deepest into the tank.  Surprisingly, reflectors play the most important role in achieving high PAR in the tank, more so than wattage.

Now by PAR I presume thats the LUX value?  Or am I mistaken.  I know all about LUX and I have a lux meter which I was thinking of tossing in a ziplock bag and submerging it to see what LUX values I am getting at different depths. 

As for lighting, since most of you are talking about 400 more then 250, maybe what I might start off with is this:
http://www.sunlightsupply.com/aqua/products.aspx?request=AQUA_GALAXY_SEL_WATT&title=Ballasts&type=product

I will get the 250 - 400 range select a watt ballast, and if the 250 isn't enough, I can always switch up easily with out having to get a new ballast.


I currently have a few reflectors at my disposal for use.

One similar to this
http://www.sunlightsupply.com/hort/products.aspx?request=COOL-SUN-REFLECTOR&title=Reflectors&type=product

one like this:
http://www.sunlightsupply.com/hort/products.aspx?request=SUN_TUBE_REFLECTOR&title=Reflectors&type=product

and a simple one like this
http://www.sunlightsupply.com/hort/products.aspx?request=ECONOWING_REFLECTOR&title=Reflectors&type=product

Not sure which I am going to use yet.  The second one is most likely my choice as its protected and easy to clean.  I have had great reflection from it with and I can cool the bulb easy.
Time will tell.

[Hookup]

LUX is not PAR.  LUX is the brightness as seen by the human eye.  It's a relative term based upon the human eye only.  PAR is a measure of photons by volume over time.  It's a measure of "how much light" is being output at a specific distance/depth from your bulb.

LUX is kind of useless to us, PAR is meaning full.  UPAR (i think that's the term) is a measurement of a specific type(s) of photon (wavelengths)... you can then setup a system to measure the photos that the corals are using and end up with usable par as a result.  This meter is not ever found in the hobby.  Too expensive.  So we go with PAR.


Never seen or read anything on that ballast. Sanjay's Lighting guide as a tone, if not too much, information about all types of ballasts and bulbs, and combination's found in the hobby. (http://www.manhattanreefs.com/lighting)  I'd start by checking for comments on your planned ballast there.

Those reflectors you show are not going to maximize your PAR/output from your bulbs.  They allow light to escape from the ends, and more over, they reflect a serious amount of light back at the bulb, as opposed to down into the water.  (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-06/review/index.php)

I realize the budget implications of using what you have, but with such a deep tank you'd be better off spending your money on lighting.

[Vincenzo.]

Cool project for sure. What are the wattage on these leds? They have heat sinks? Fans? Or they like x mas leds?

[holachicka]

VERY nice - I tend to prefer square tanks and yours is a really nice size!
Looking forward to future updated pics!

[salvini55]

It will be easier to make decisions on lighting, flow ect. if you know what you want to keep for livestock. Mainly corals, if you want to go sps, get the 400 watt MH and a lumenbright. If you only want soft and lps, go with a 250 watt. Either way, you have a solid foundation and im sure things will be jaw dropping in no time.

Got any pics of your orchid farm?

[QueensU]

If they are LED's like CREE-XRE or something like that, you will definitely need to mount them on a heat sink rather than acrylic. I think you said 30 bucks for all of them tho? So they're likely not the same type of LED.

[JetJumper]

If they are LED's like CREE-XRE or something like that, you will definitely need to mount them on a heat sink rather than acrylic. I think you said 30 bucks for all of them tho? So they're likely not the same type of LED.

No, they are just simple 3.3V @ 20mA 5mm LEDs with a angle of roughly 20 Degrees.  EBay special I bought about 4 years ago.  The way I am designing the back wiring section of resistors and everything will have proper cooling.

Got any pics of your orchid farm?

At the moment I don't.  Most of them are not flowering right now so its just all greenery.. lol.

LUX is not PAR.  LUX is the brightness as seen by the human eye.  It's a relative term based upon the human eye only.  PAR is a measure of photons by volume over time.  It's a measure of "how much light" is being output at a specific distance/depth from your bulb.

Those reflectors you show are not going to maximize your PAR/output from your bulbs.  They allow light to escape from the ends, and more over, they reflect a serious amount of light back at the bulb, as opposed to down into the water.  (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-06/review/index.php)

Thanks for clearly this up, and I have been thinking.  I might rig up a radiator that will take the Temperature from the light, and use it to warm the water up.  Since before I put live stock in the tank, I can play around with flow and what not to find out exactly how much flow I need through the rad to warm the water as a supplement to the 300Watt heater.  This way I can use the Lamp as a heater as well as light so that there is less electrical load in total.  Anyone tried this out before here?

[Funkmotor]

Thanks for clearly this up, and I have been thinking.  I might rig up a radiator that will take the Temperature from the light, and use it to warm the water up.  Since before I put live stock in the tank, I can play around with flow and what not to find out exactly how much flow I need through the rad to warm the water as a supplement to the 300Watt heater.  This way I can use the Lamp as a heater as well as light so that there is less electrical load in total.  Anyone tried this out before here?

If there would be any exposed copper in that radiator it would be bad news for any inverts in the tank.  And even if there were copper internally to the radiator only, if it ever sprung a leak into the tank it would be bad news for sure.

Keeping the rad external to the tank (like a warm plate on the glass) would transfer some heat but you'd risk cracking the glass.

Probably not worth the risk either way.

[Hookup]

If the idea is to create a stainless-steel coil that is built-into the top, non-reflective side of the reflector it might work.  Copper is bad, as pointed out... but the concept is an interesting one.

[Rybren]

There's a thread on RC, I can't find it now, where someone was discussing this idea.  Once concept was to run the water through a glass box on the top side of the fixture rather than using copper or titanium piping.

[JetJumper]

There is always this idea.

http://www.sunlightsupply.com/hort/products.aspx?request=FRESCA_SOL_WING_REFLECTOR&title=Reflectors&type=product

[JetJumper]

So, with all the talk of lighting today that got me thinking and wondering what my current reflector would look like.  Here are a few quick snap shots.

Bulb is a MH bulb for plants, so the K rating is no where near what is going to be used for the SW.  Its a 600 Watt Bulb however, much brighter then a 250w would be.  But this is just for kicks.